Nitrated sugar explosive



3 Patented Feb. 20, 1934 I 1.941530 5 m'ma'rsn suoan axrnosrva Harold a. Lewis. Woodlmry, a. a, aaaignor a E. I. 'du'Pont de' Nemoura & Company. W mington; Del.. a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.

14 Claims.

My invention relates to new explosive compositions and more particularly to those comprising nitrated ketoses in solutions of nitric esters. 1

explosive by utilizing, in place of sugars, glu- Most of the commercial explosives in use at the 5 present time contain nitroglycerin as the main explosive ingredient, or,;in-the case of ammo- I nium nitrate explosives-as the sensitizer of the explosive. i

It has frequently been the practice in recent years in; the manufacture of dynamites to add various organic materials to the nitroglycerin, or to dissolve-them in it for the purpose of controlling the properties of the explosive. Materials dissolved in nitroglycerin have served as the compounds added to nitroglycerin for this purpose have been nitrocompounds such as trinitrotoluene, also tetranitrodiglycerin, ethylene glycol dinitrate, nitrated sugars, and like compounds. The foregoing compounds, being explosives themselves, have had the desired effect on the properties of the explosives, without detracting from the strength.

The use of nitrated sugars dissolved in nitroglycerin, as theexplosive oil, has the additional advantage of lowering the cost of the finished explosive. Nitrated sugars, howevenhave the disadvantage of a lesser degree of stability in nitroglycerin, so that precautions need to be taken with explosives containing nitrated sugars in solution in nitroglycerin.

The kind of sugar, used in. nitroglycerin explosives has been, in' general, cane sugar or sucrose, because of its availability and low price. Sucrose is a disaccharide having a formula commonly accepted as:

liqundesirable in gelatin dynamite compositions,

. because of the eifect'ofitheinstability of the ni- 1 trated sugarincausing albreaking down of the jgel and exudation of the liquid explosive ingredient." Various means have been resorted to in an attempt to remed y thisxundesirable eflect'and freezing point depressants, and the like. Among Application December 22, 1981 Serial No; 582,649

make such nitrated sugars satisfactory for use in gelatinized explosives. For example. Moran. in U. S. Patent 1,583,895, discloses an improved cosldes, which are commonly obtained by reactions of sugars with alcohols.

I have discovered that an improved and more stable explosive oil is obtained, if the sugar used has a ketonic rather than an aldehydic linkage -in its formula. As an example of such a ketose,

CHzOH-(CHOH) 3COCH2OH.

While levulose may be obtained, together with other sugars, by the hydrolysis of cane sugar, a more convenient and satisfactory commercial method of production is by'the hydrolysis of inulin, which yields levulose alone. Inulin appears naturally in the tubers of' the dahlia, Jerusalem artichoke, and others of the Composites, and is readily available from such sources.

My new explosive composition is obtained by dissolving-.levulose in. glycerin, glycol, glycerin-,

glycol solutions, or similar solvents, "and then nitrating the solution obtained. While the solution of levulose in glycerin alone gives a satisfactory explosive oil after nitration, I prefer to use as a solvent glycerin-glycol mixtures, since the solubility of levulose is greater in such mixtures. In this case also, the increased viscosity due to the dissolving of the sugar is compensated for by the lower viscosity of the original mixture, due to the presence of the ethylene glycol.

As illustrative examples of levulose solutions in glycerin, or in glycerin-glycol mixtures, which are adapted for satisfactory nitration, and without in any way limiting my invention, the following are given:

leg

While I have indicated that levulose is the only sugar in the foregoing examples, it is to be understood that it may be replaced in part, as desired, by sucrose, or other sugars.

My improved explosive oil is not intended for use alone as an explosive, but will function in the same manner as does nitroglycerin in the usual dynamite compositions. vAs examples of such compositions, the following will serve, the term nitroglycerin here being intended to cover solutions oi levulose in nitroglycerin, such as have just been described.

- tree from nitrated aldoses in solution in a liquid nitric ester.

2. An explosive comprising nitrated levulose free from nitrated aldoses in solution in a liquid nitric ester.

3. An explosive comprising a nitrated ketose free from nitrated aldoses in solution in nitro glycerin.

4. An explosive comprising nitrated levulose.

free from nitrated aldoses in solution in nitroglycerin.

5. An explosive comprising 5 to 40 parts of nitratecl levulose free from nitrated aldoses in 95 to parts of a liquid nitric ester.

6. An explosive comprising 5 to 40 parts of amaze nitrated levulose tree from nitrated aldoses in 95 to 60 parts by weight of nitroglycerin.

7. A dynamite composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting of a nitratecl ketose in solution in a nitric ester and an absorbent material.

8. A dynamite composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting of nitrated levulose in solution in a nitric ester and an absorbent material.

9. A dynamite composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting of nitrated levulose in solution in nitroglycerin and an absorbent maeria 10. A dynamite composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting oi nitrated levulose in solution in nitroglycerin, an oxygen containing salt, and a carbonaceous combustible absorbent material.

11. A gelatinized explosive composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting of a nitrated ketose in solution in a nitric ester, nitrocellulose, an oxygen containing salt, and a carbonaceous combustible absorbent material.

12. A gelatinized explosive composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting of a nitrated levulose in solution in a nitric ester, nitrocellulose, an oxygen containing salt, and a carbona ceous combustible absorbent material.

13. A gelatinized explosive composition comprising a liquid explosive consisting of a nitrated levulose in solution in nitroglycerin. nitrocellulose, an oxygen containing salt, and a carbonaceous combustible absorbent material.

14. A dynamite composition comprising a liquid explosive containing 5 to 40 parts of a nitrated 110 ketose, 95 to 60 parts of a liquid nitric ester, and

an absorbent material.

HAROLD A. LEWIS. 

